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Friday, January 5, 2018

12 Priceless Moments from the Walt Disney Archives Audio Collections

You are about to hear some priceless moments from the Walt Disney Archives Audio Collection which will create the ultimate auditory stroll down memory lane. Join us today and hear things like Walt Disney speaking on a visit to his boyhood home, classic Donald Duck radio commercials from the 1950s, and rarely heard sound tracks from the openings of the Disney Parks' most popular attractions...

(For your listening pleasure, be sure to pause the Disney Avenue Music Player above prior to playing the tracks below if you are on a desktop computer.)

1) Walt's Visit to Marceline, MO (His Childhood Home), July 1956

A short, off-the-cuff speech Walt Disney gave during a visit to his boyhood home, Marceline, Missouri, in 1956. The fun he has in reminiscing is quite evident, and the assembled crowd's laughter eggs him on to tell more...

2) The Story of Mickey Mouse, October 13, 1947

The Story of Mickey Mouse was recorded around the time of Mickey Mouse's nineteenth birthday, and incidentally is a plug for his latest picture, Mickey and the Beanstalk from Fun and Fancy Free...

3) Donald Duck Food Commercials (circa 1953)

Not to be outdone by Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck gets his share of airtime in a series of Donald Duck food commercials from 1953...

4) Interview at the Snow White Premiere, December 21, 1937

December 21, 1937 brought the world premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles. Walt gives a brief—and a little bit nervous—interview before the screening of the movie...

5) Saludos Amigos: The Music of Latin America (circa 1943)

For the release of Saludos Amigos, Walt narrated a rundown of the musical impressions he and his animators brought back with them from their trip to South America...

6) The Great Locomotive Chase Interview, September 27, 1955

On September 27, 1955, on a stopover at Idyllwild Airport in New York, a radio interviewer quizzed Walt about the upcoming release of his big epic about railroad trains—The Great Locomotive Chase. This track also contains comments about other upcoming programs Walt had planned for his television series...

7) Disneyland Dedication Speech, July 17, 1955

The famous dedication speech Walt gave on Disneyland's opening day, July, 17, 1955...

8) Disneyland Radio Commercials, 1957-1961

Here are a series of old Disneyland commercials from the Park's early years. The first commercial is a generic one meant for airing on the Mickey Mouse Club show in 1957. Next is a "Disneyland Christmas" commercial from 1958, followed by ads for "Date Night at Disneyland" (1958), "Moonlight Over Disneyland" (1960), "Disneyland Soda Dance" (1960), and "Dixieland at Disneyland" (1961)...

9) Dedication of "it's a small world" at Disneyland, May 28, 1966

Major new additions to Disneyland were always marked by special ceremonies attended by Walt Disney personally. Here is Walt's comments at the dedication of "it's a small world" from May 28, 1966...

10) Dedication of New Orleans Square at Disneyland, July 24, 1966

One of Walt's last major public appearances at Disneyland, the dedication of New Orleans Square (July 24, 1966)...

11) "World's Fair Report," with Dick Strout, Spring 1964

Walt gave an interview in the spring of 1964 where he proudly described the four Disney-designed attractions for the New York World's Fair...

12) Radio Commercials: The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) and That Darn Cat (1965)

Classic radio spots for movies starring Annette Funicello (The Misadventures of Merlin Jones from 1964) and Hayley Mills (That Darn Cat from 1965)...

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Keith Michael Mahne is the owner and editor of Disney Avenue and the host of the Disney Avenue Podcast.
He has made countless trips to the Walt Disney World resort since his
first trip in 1989 at the age of four. Keith has a strong passion and
respect for Walt Disney, the parks and
resorts, and the men and women who help create them. He started Disney Avenue as a way to inform and entertain readers and to repay all those who make dreams come true every day.